This invention relates to splicing of conveyor belts. In particular, this invention relates to covers for protecting the spliced area of conveyor belts.
Endless belts are generally made by securing two ends of a length of web material together at a splice to form a continuous loop. The two most common splice types are a lap splice and a butt splice. In a lap splice, the two ends overlap one another, and in a butt splice, the two ends abut, without any overlap. In many applications, the splice is held together by adhesive, tape, or a combination of the two. Additionally or alternatively, in many heavy-duty applications, the splice is held together by a vulcanized bond. Typically for conveyor belts, a belt fastener such as a staple, clip, or other similar fastener is often used to join the two ends in a butt splice. Canadian patent application 2,019,918 uses interlocking members to connect and secure the two ends. Most belt fasteners, such as the staples or clips, are typically metal.
In heavy-duty applications, such as mining and excavating operations, the metal fasteners can easily be damaged and weakened by strong impact of items, such as rocks and boulders, and abrasion caused by fines trapped in and around the fasteners. Also, many mining or excavating operations include a scraping blade that runs along the surface of the conveyor belt to remove any accumulated material from the surface of the belt. This blade can also damage the metal fasteners. If the fasteners become too damaged, there is a likelihood that the fasteners can pull out, break, or otherwise cause failure due to the splice being the weakest point of the belt.
What would be desired is a cover to protect the fasteners from unduly harsh conditions and to extend the life of the splice. Various attempts to protect the splice area have been made. For example, a plastic or steel splice cover is disclosed in Australian Patent AU 199923965. This splice cover is positioned over the fasteners and held in place by screws. Other attempts have included placing a material over the belt fasteners that is held on by adhesive.
The present invention is directed to a removable and replaceable cover for positioning over a splice area of a web. The removable and replaceable cover protects the belt fasteners used to secure the splice from damaging impacts and abrasion that are generally encountered in many conveyor belt applications.
In one particular embodiment, a conveyor belt having a splice cover is provided. The conveyor belt comprises a belt web having a first end and an opposite second end, and the first end attached to the second end to provide a splice. A belt fastener can be used to attach the first end to the second end. A conveyor belt splice cover is positioned atop the belt fastener, the conveyor belt splice cover comprising a flexible body having a first surface and an opposite second surface, and a plurality of first reclosable fasteners positioned on and extending from the first surface. A plurality of second reclosable fasteners, configured to releaseably interlock with the first reclosable fasteners, are positioned on the conveyor belt web. The first reclosable fasteners are releaseably interlocked with the second reclosable fasteners.
Also provided is a method for placing a splice cover on a splice of a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt comprising a belt fastener securing a first end of a web to a second end of a web to form an endless loop, the method comprising positioning a splice cover in alignment with the belt fastener and attaching the splice cover to the conveyor belt over the belt fastener. The splice cover comprises a flexible body having a first side and a plurality of first reclosable fasteners extending from the first side. The splice cover is attached to the conveyor belt over the belt fastener by interlocking the first reclosable fastener with a second reclosable fastener, the second reclosable fastener positioned on the conveyor belt.
Various other embodiments are also provided.